Vacuum cleaner



Dec. 23, 1958 S. F. LACHOWICZ VACUUM CLEANER Filed Jan. e, 1956 2Sheets-Sheet 1 www INVENTOR. STANLEY E LACHOW/CZ ATTORNEYS Dec. 23, 1958s. F. LAcHowlcz 2,865,465

VACUUM CLEANER Filed Jn. 6, 195e 2 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR. STANLEY ELACHOW/CZ ATTORNE YS construction, combination of Vof partsV which willbe exemplified in theconstruction erallyrectangular box-like sheet whichfor convenience-inv manufacture may comprise an 'upperlshell or section11 and a lowershellor section'lZ. "The upper and lower sections arerlaterallyv from the side walls of the Unite States VACUUM CLEANERStaniey F. Lachowicz, NeWBritaimConn., assignor to Landers, Frary &Clark, Newritain, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut 1 This inventionrelates generally to vacuum cleaners and more particularly to animproved construction for vacuum Acleaners of the tank type.

It is a general purpose of the invention to provide a tank type vacuumcleaner which is rugged yet light weight and simple and economical tomanufacture, and which will incorporate improved and more eiiicient airliow characteristics.

. It is a more specific object of the invention toprovide, in a tanktype vacuum cleaner of the typeA having a vertically arranged dust bagcompartment and a horizontally arranged fan and motor assembly, atnoveland improved air ow arrangement between the dust bag compartment and thefan and motor assembly.

It is another object of the invention to provide-a novel and improvedarrangement for mounting the fan and which willimprove the `operation ofVa motor assembly machine of the -type'described withfrespect tovibration and noise level, and which will further -result in a morecompact and economical structure.

Other objects will be in part obvious, and in part pointed out more indetail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in thefeatures of elements andarrangement hereafter set forth and the scope ofthe application of whichwillbe indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawings: Fig. l isa longitudinal vertical cross sectional viewof a ta-nlctype vacuum cleaner constructed' in accordance withthe-invention;

"Fig 2- is fan elevational view of the dust4 bag compartment of-themachine of Fig;v l'illustratingone of-the elements of the invention;and f' I *Figi 3 is a fragmentary ycross sectional 174view of a portion'ofthe vacuumcleaner of Fig.' l. f i

With reference to the' drawings,V a 'cleaner constructed in accordancewith the invention -is comprised of algenmetal outer housing 10,

ing peripheral flanges 13 andk .14 respectively, whichsare connected:together such as by screws 15. A strip: '16 of resilient material suchas rubber or plastic lsurrounds the llanges i3 and i4 to provide abumperfor the cleanerand Kto cover the joint between theinterconnectedsections of the housing.

. Disposed vertically within the outer housing and spaced outerhousingis a dust bagcompartment 20. The compartmentlt), as ein beseen from Fig. l, extends substantially the full height of the outerhousingwith its-open end extending. upwardly. The bottom 21, `of thecompartment, as can ybe seen in Fig. 1is curved inwardly and upwardlyfrom the periphery thereof toform a Vc oncaveannular portion directedinwardly of the compartment and having an apex provided with cooperatatetlt r' corporates as at 27 means for attaching a hosethereto incommunication with the n interior of the dust bag compartment 20.

The top of the upper shell 11 is provided with a down-` wardly'directedliange 30 having an inwardly directed rim portion 31 on which' ismounted a ring 32 fabricated from suitable resilient material such asrubber or plastic. The inner diameter of the ring 32 engages theouterdiam'- eter of the top of the dust bag compartment A20 to position theopen end of the compartment in registrywith the cover 24. A ring -33 issupported onthe ring ,32 andfin turn supports a ring 34, to which ismounted a cloth bag 35 which extends inwardly of the dust bagcompartment y 20. A paper dust bag 36 is supported at its open end froma ring 37 which is supported by the cloth bag ring 34.

The lower portion of the dust Vbag compartment 20 is reduced in diameterto form an inclined surface 38, lon

which is supported a iilter pad retainer 39. The filter pad e retainer39 is held in position by means such as the, screw i0 extending throughthe retainer, and engaged withthe apex of the upwardly directed portionof thexbottomof y the compartment 2li. The retainer 39 has a radiallyinwardly directed shoulder d5 on which is supported a ilter pad'lt. Thelower surface of the retainer 39 is provided with a plurality ofperforations as at 47 to permit the passage of air through the filter.pad retainer.

The si-de wall of the compartment 20 is provided with j an elongatedhorizontally directed aperture 48 adjacent the bottom thereof and incommunication'with the underside of-.the lilter pad retainer. 39. Avertically disposed air duct element 49 fabricated preferably from sheetmetal is mounted along the sidel of compartment 20 .by means such as therivets 50. vA ring preferably of rubber orthe v like is mountedintermediate .the air duct element 49 and the side of the compartment 20to form an airtight connection between the duct and the compartment, andas will be later seen, to reduce vibrations within the machine.

The air duct element 49 is provided with a horizontally j directedaperture 51 adjacent the upper end thereofwhich. is surrounded by ahorizontally extending flange 52. .As can be seen from the drawings, theairduct element 49 in cooperation with the side of the compartment 20,forms a wide enclosed air passageway 63 between the aperture 48 in the-compartment 20 and the aperture 5l of the air duct element. -Thepassageway. 63 is unobstructed and provides minimum resistance to airflow between the compartment and the aperture 51. i

A fan and motor assembly 53 is disposed horizontally within the outerhousingltl and externally of the dust bag compartment 20 in spacedrelation to the sides of the outer housing. The motor end 6l of thevassembly v53 is mounted on a motor mounting..bracketed` conibatentedDec. 23, 95@- f a cupflike portion v preferably in t-received in aradially extending aperture or slot 90 in `be seen from Fig. l, are lessand the sleeve 74 projects lnthe disc 66 and the'disc 57respectively,w'ithsashoulder 62 on the axial extension limitingthegaxial movement of-the plate 67 relative vto the axial extension 260.'These plates in cooperation Awith a bolt 69 threadably received withinthe axiall bore-65 serve to compress the'discs 66 and S7 therebetween,to provide aresilient support for the motor end 21 of the fan andl motorassembly. A washerlike member 79 disposedvbetween the plate 68 andtheend of the axial extension 60 'limits the compression-of the discstothat necessary for proper support of the fan` and motor assembly. As canbe seen from Fig. l, the aperture'in the mounting bracket 54 is largerthanthe axial extension 60, Vthus permitting the fantand motorassemblyto move relative to themounting bracket as provided by theresiliency of the discs57 and 66. Thus, it cantbe seen that there hasbeen provided a means for `mounting theA motor end 61 of the motor so asto substantiallyA eliminate the transfer tothe remainder of the cleanerof any vibration due to operation of the fan and motor, and `thus reducethe noise level of the machine.

. It has been' found in a vacuum cleaner constructed, as thus fardescribed, with a horizontally disposed fan and motor assembly thatthere is a tendency for the fan and motor assembly to be rotated aboutits rotation axis .when the motor is rst energized due to the startingtorque of the motor. This rotation of the fan and motor assembly ofcourse cannot be permitted for obvious reasons... lTherefore, inaccordance withthe invention, the

plate 67is, as can be seen in Fig. 3, provided withan extension orfinger 85 directed radially of the plater and having an end portion 86directed axially of the fan and vmotor assembly and bifurcated toprovide a pair of spaced apart members, as at 87, which'engage eitherside of a radially disposed protuberance or rib 88 on one end of thefanand motor assembly. The plate 67 is -further provided with an axiallyextending projection the formt ofthe struck-out tab S9-which is theresilient disc 66. The disc 66 is also provided with la .second radially`extending aperture or slot 9i dia- Ametrically disposed relative Vtothe slot 90 and in which is received an axially 'extending projection 92on the cuplike portion 56 of facture and which provides a resiliencywhich is desir able to maintain the vibrations and attendant noise levelof the machine at a minimum.

The other end of the fan and motor assembly is,

-in accordance ,with the invention,` supported by the air duct element49. As can be seen from the drawings, the

fan and motor assemblyis provided with a casing-member 71 serving tolimit the inlet of air to the fanA 72 to the aperture formed by theaxially directedilange73 Y of the casing member 7l. A sleeve 74 ismounted within the flange 73 and has a flange '75 in engagement with theinner surface of the casing member 71. The combined diameters of theilange 73 and sleeve 74, as can than the inner diameter of the air `ductflange 52 wardly of the aperture 51' formed by the Viiange S2 to Vforman air passageway between the fan` and theair passageway 63. Inaccordance with the invention, there is disposed between the inner4diameter of the flange SZ andthe outer diameter of both the sleeve74`and flange `73, a large bushing or collar 78 'of suitableresilient-mathe motor mounting bracket 54. The `projection92 is alsopreferably in the form of a struck- ,out tab. It can thus be seen thatthere has yopening to -serves yto, further reduce the overall noiselevel of the machine. vis permitted to'ow outwardly thereof through anaper- .ture 79 provided in one end of the outer housing 10. Anescutcheon plate 80 is mounted such as by a bead` bearings; the passageof air from the dust bag ment to the fan is free and unobstructed, andis accomterial such as rubber, which provides a resilient support forthe casing member 71, andthus the fan end of the fan and motor assemblyon the air duct element 49. This means of mounting the fan and motorassembly to the air duct 49 provides, of course, an increase in theeconomy of manufacture of the cleaner as well as providing avibration-absorbing mounting to substantially reduce the overall noiselevel of the machine, As noted above, the manner of supporting the motorand fan assembly on the air duct 49 also serves to provide an enclosed,low pressure drop air passageway for the flow of air fromthe airpassageway 63 to the inlet side of the fan.

In the operation of the machine las a suction cleaner, air is drawnthrough the dust bag compartment 20 and its aperture 4S, through the airpassageway 63, and into the fan 72 through the duct formed by the sleeve74. Air is directed from the outlet side of the fan through a passageway76 in the motor and fan assembly into -themotor and thence outwardlythrough the stator 77 of the motor for expansion into the spacedinterior of thelouter housing 10 externally of the motor and fanassembly 53, the dust bag compartment Z0, and their interconnecting airpassageways. This expansion of the VVair into the interior-of thehousing, rather than immediately directing the air from the fan througha restricted the atmosphere outwardly of the housing The exhaust air inthe interior of the housing .S1 tothe kouterhousing and has mountedthereon a hose connection 82 in'registry with the aperture 79. A filterelement 83 such as a flockv screen is mounted within the outer housingin registry with the aperture 79 and is `retained in place by theengagement of a peripheral lip thereof between the escutcheon plate 80and the 4outerfhousing 10 as at 84,

The advantages of the novel structure herein described should beapparent from the above description. 'The mounting of the fan and motorassembly in the horizontal position rather than a vertical position, ofcourse, reduces the tloads on the thrust bearings of the motor and fanassembly, inasmuch as the weight of the assembly is not added to anythrust loads imposed on the compartplished by the most direct routepossible, eliminating Yany tortuous redirections of the air in its flow;and

:most particularly the supporting of one end of the fan and motorassembly on tbe air duct kelement 49 provides the novel combination of asimplified means of mounting of the fan and motor assembly with animproved air' passageway arrangement between the fan Vandthe dust bagcompartment.

It can thus be seen that there have been provided novel improvements inthe construction of a tank type vvacuum cleaner resulting in increasedeconomy and simplicity of manufacture, and providing improvement in theair ow characteristics of the machine, as well as a reduction in thevibration and attendant noise level of the overall machine.

As many changes could bev made in the above construction and manyapparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be madewithout depart- 'ing from the scope thereof, it is intended that allmatter contained in the above companying drawings shall be interpretedas illustra- `'tive and not 4in a limiting sense.

description or shown in the ac- It is also to be understood that thelanguage used fin-the following claims is intended to cover all of the"generic andspecic features of the invention herein desc'ribedaudalls'tatements of the scope of the invention vwhich,` as a matter oflanguage, might besaidto fall therebetween.

I claim:

l. In a vacuum cleaner of the tank type,` an outer housing, a verticallyarranged dust b ag compartment within the outer housing, meansforming anaperture in vthe side of said compartment adjacent thebottom thereyof,means .forming a vertically disposed air duct externally of thecompartment, said air duct communicating -at one end vwith said aperturein said compartment and .being provided with a horizontally directedaperture adjacent its other end, a horizontally-disposed fan and motorassembly within and spaced from the outer housing having an inlet airpassageway at one end, means connecting said one end of fan and motorassembly to said means forming said air duct for the support of said oneend of the fan and motor assembly thereby and forming an enclosedair-passageway connecting said linlet airY passageway with saidhorizontally directed aperture in the air duct, and means on the outerhousing resiliently supporting the other end of said fan and lmotorassembly. n

'2. In a vacuum cleaner of the tank type, an outer housing, a verticallyarranged dust bag compartment within the outer housing, means forminglan aperture in the side of the compartment adjacent the bottom thereof,a vertically disposed duct element mounted on the :periphery .of thecompartment to form in cooperation .with the outer peripheral surface ofthe compartment an enclosed air passageway communicating at one end withsaid aperture in the compartment, the duct element being provided with ahorizontally directed aperture adjacent the other end thereof, ahorizontally disposed fan and motor assembly within and spaced from theouter housing having an inlet air passageway at one end, meansconnecting said one end of the fan and motor assembly to the air ductfork support thereby and formingan enclosed air passageway connectingsaid inlet air passage- 4way with the horizontallydirected aperture inthe air duct, and a'resilient support for the other end of the fan andmotor assembly mounted on the outer housing.

3, In a vacuum cleanerof the tank type,-the combination comprising anouter housing, a vertically arranged cylindrical dust bag compartmentwithin the outer housing, the bottom of the compartment being curvedradially inwardly and upwardly from the periphery thereof, iilter meansdisposed internally of the compartment and supported on the apex of thebottom of the compartment, the compartment being provided with anaperture in a vertical side thereof communicating with the under side ofthe lter means, a vertically disposed duct element mounted on the outerperiphery of the co-mpartment to form in cooperation with thecompartment an enclosed air passageway communicating at one end with theaperture in the side of the compartment, the duct element being providedwith a horizontally directed aperture adjacent the other end thereof, ahorizontally disposed fan and motor assembly within and spaced laterallyfrom the outer housing and having an axially extending flange at one endforming a horizontally directed air inlet passageway, and a flange onsaid duct element surrounding said horizontally directed aperture andextending coaxially of and connected to said axially extending flange tosupport said one end of the fan and motor assembly on the duct elementand form Ian enclosed air passageway between said horizontally directedaperture and said one end of the fan and motor assembly.

4. ln a vaccum cleaner of the tank type, an outer housing, a verticallyarranged compartment within the outer housing, a dust separating bagvertically positioned in the compartment with the bottom of the bagbeing vertically spaced from the bottom of the compartment, meansforming an aperture in the side of the compartment intermediate thebottom of the dust bag and the bottom of the compartment, a verticallydisposed air ductexternally lof the compartment and spaced from theouter housing, said air duct communicating at one end with said aperturevin the side of the compartment and being provided'with ahorizontallydirected aperture adjacent the other -end thereof, a horizontallyextending flange surrounding said horizontally directed aperture, ahorizontally disposed fan and motor assembly within and spaced from theouter housing, and having means on one end thereof forming an inlet airpassageway to the fan,va;angeion said lone end of the fan and motorassembly disposed coaxially of said horizonvtally extending flange inregistry with said inlet Vair passageway, one of said iianges being of alesser diameter than and extending within the other, and a resilientcollar disposed intermediate said` flanges to form a resilientconnection therebetween whereby said one end of the fan Vand moto-rassembly is supported by said air duct.

5. In a vacuum cleaner of the tank type, the combination comprising anouter housing, a vertically arranged compartment within the outerhousing and having its upper end open, ka dust separating bag verticallypositioned. in the compartment with the bottom of the bag beingvertically spaced from the bottom of the compartment, means, providinganaperture in the side. of the compartment intermediate the bottom of thevdust bag and the bottom of the compartment, a fan and driving motorassembly -disposed horizontally within and spaced laterally from theouterho-using externally of the compartment and having air inlet meanson one end, a flange on said one end of the fan and motor assemblyvforming any enclosed horizontally 4directed air passagewaycommunicating at one end of said air-inlet means,

la vertically disposed duct element mounted on the outer periphery ofthe compartment to form in cooperation with a'portion of the outerperiphery .of the compart- 'ment and an enclosed air passageway withinand. spaced laterally of the outer housing and co-mmunicating at one endwith said aperture in the compartment, the duct element being providedwith a horizontally directed aperture adjacent its other end in sealedcommunication with the other end of said horizontally directedpassageway,

` the fan and motorV assembly being provided with an air outletpassageway exhausting into the interior of the outer housing, and meansforming an aperture in the outer housing through which exhaust air fromthe fan and motor assembly may flow outwardly of the outer housing.

6. In a vacuum cleaner of the tank type, an outer housing, a fan andmotor assembly .disposed within the outer housing and having an axialextension at one end, mounting means supporting the fan and `motorassembly relative to the outer housing, a plate member mounted on saidaxial extension intermediate the mounting means and said one end of thefan and motor assembly, the

` plate member Abeing connected to the fan and motor assembly tosubstantially prevent relative rotation of the plate member about therotational axis of the fan and motor assembly, the mounting means andthe plate member each being provided with a projection spaced radiallyoutwardly of the axial extension, the projections being oppositelydirected axially of the fan and motor assembly, and a resilient memberdisposed intermediate the mounting means and the plate member and havingmeans to respectively receive and engage said projections wherebyrelative rotation of the plate member and mounting means will beresiliently restricted.

7. In a vacuum cleaner of the tank type, an outer housing, a fan andmotor assembly disposed within the outer housing and having an axialextension at one end, a mounting bracket having means receiving aportion of and supporting said axial extension relative to the outerhousing, a plate member mounted on said axial extension and having alinger portion extending axially of the fan and motor assembly, means onsaid one end of the fan and motor assembly engaging said finger portionto substantially prevent relative rotation of the plate member and fanand motor assembly, a projection on the plate member spaced radiallyoutwardly of the V`axial extension and extending axially Vawayfromjsai'd one end of the fan and motor assembly, a projection on thelmounting bracket spaced radially outwardly of the axial mountingbracket.

8. In a vacuum cleaner of the tank type, an outer housing, a fan andmotor assembly disposed within the outer housing and having anaxialextension and in a ra dially disposed rib at one` end, a mountingbracket on the louter housing, means on themounting bracket receiving aportion and supporting said axial extension, a plate `membe`r mounted onthe axial extension and provided with a bifurcated iinger portiondirected axially of the fan and motor assembly for engagement witheither side of said radially disposed rib, the plate member being provided with a struck out tab disposed radially thereof and extendingtoward said mounting bracket, a struck out tab on the mounting bracketdisposed radially thereof and extending toward the plate member, thetabs on the plate member and mounting bracket being diametricallydisposed relative to the longitudinal axis of the axial extension, and aresilient member disposed intermediate the plate member and the mountingbracket and being provided with a pair of slots extending radiallythereof and respectively receiving the struck out tabs on the platemember and mounting bracket.

9. In a vacuum cleaner of-the tank type, an outer housing, a fan andmotor assembly disposed horizontally within the outer housing andprovided with an axial extension at one end thereof, a motor mountingbracket mounted on the outer housing having a cup-like portion providedwith a centrally located aperture coaxially receiving said axialextension, the edge portion of said aperture being spaced radiallyoutwardly from the outer diameter of said axial extension, a resilientmember disposed within said cup-like portion and surrounding a portionofand supporting said axial extension relative to the mounting bracket,a projection on said cup-likeportion extending axially toward the fanand motor assembly, a plate member mounted on the axial extensionintermediate said oneend of they fan and motor assembly and the mountingbracket tand provided with a projection extending axially of the fan andmotor assembly toward the cup-like portion, said plate member beingconnected to the fan and motor assembly to substantially preventrelative rotation of the plate member and fan and motor assembly, and asecond resilient member mounted on the axial extension intermediate thecup-like portion and the plate member and provided with a pair ofapertures respectively -receiving the projections on the cup-likeportion and plate member to restrict relative rotation therebetween. t

l0. In a vacuum'cleanr of the tank type, an outer housing, a fanandfmotor assembly horizontally disposed within the outer housing,mounting means on the outer housing for thesupport of one end of-the fanand motor assembly, aV resilient member disposed between the mountingmeans and said one end of the fan and motor assembly, and oppositelydirected means supported on the mounting means and said end of the fanand motor assembly engaging said resilient member to impede and limitrotation of saidy fan and motor assembly about the rotational axisthereof and relative to said mounting means.

ll. In a vacuum cleaner of the tank type as set forth in claim 1,wherein said horizontally disposed fan and motor assembly have' airdischarge means communicating with the interior of said outer housing,and with said outer housing having independent air outlet means.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITD STATES PATENTS 942,037Markstein Nov. 30, 1909 1,847,352 McClatchie a Mar. 1, 1932 2,158,717Brock May 16, 1939 2,174,443 Lofgren Sept. 26, 1939 2,400,558 LindbergMay 2l, 1946 2,688,379 Anderson Sept. 7, 1954

